Minerva Humanoids, a robotics company focused on hazardous energy operations and public safety, has emerged from stealth with approximately US$10 million in Pre-Seed funding. General Catalyst led the round, with Long Journey Ventures and Credo Ventures as co-leads and participation from MVP Ventures, Kaya, RunwayVC, Compound, Founders Embassy, Hugging Face, Codecademy, YG, Walter Ventures, Tiny Ventures, Chaotica, and Babylon. The financing will support its first paid pilots in the fall and further development of its semi-autonomous humanoid robot, Roger.
Purpose-Built for Dangerous Work
Minerva Humanoids was founded by CEO Sandor Felber and CTO Maurice Rahme to keep skilled specialists out of physical danger. Roger is designed around the judgment, skill, and dexterity of the trained personnel who already perform complex tasks in high-risk settings. Through the robot, those specialists can apply their expertise from a safe location, whether responding to a suspected explosive at an airport or carrying out hazardous work at an energy site.
A Dangerous Status Quo
According to Minerva Humanoids, an energy worker dies roughly every 75 minutes, amounting to about 7,000 deaths per year. Many hazardous tasks in offshore rigs, explosive ordnance disposal, and hazardous material response still require a person to enter the danger zone. Public safety teams face a similar challenge, relying on decades-old wheeled, single-arm robots that lack the dexterity needed for complex operations.
Operator Control from a Distance
Minerva's proprietary AI control system, Minerva Intelligence, manages Roger's balance, fall recovery, and navigation while translating a remote operator's input into action. Specialists operate the humanoid through a VR headset, seeing through its eyes and performing fine manipulation while retaining command of every critical action. Low-latency control loops keep responses immediate, and operators can learn full-body control in a matter of minutes.
A Step Change for Public Safety
British Special Forces veteran Dominic Asquith, Head of Hazardous Operations at Minerva Humanoids, described the long walk when an EOD operator must approach a device alone. "The tracked, single-arm systems we've relied on for decades send many people on that walk because the task needs two hands and real dexterity," he said. "Roger is a step-change for our community: the operator's judgment and hands are on the device while the body stays in the command post."
Western Manufacturing and Experienced Founders
Minerva is Western sovereign, with its software and AI primarily developed in the United States and first Roger prototypes manufactured and assembled in Germany. This approach enables rapid hardware iteration, and the company plans to produce humanoid robots in both Germany and the United States without reliance on single-source Chinese components. Felber previously contributed to MIT CSAIL's humanoid research and Tesla's Optimus program, while Rahme spent six years at Boston Dynamics as a technical lead on the Stretch robot.
Investor Confidence
General Catalyst's Robin Dechant said building a humanoid from scratch is often a years-long project, but Felber and Rahme completed it in less than six months. He added that shipping hardware at this speed takes physical AI out of the lab and builds resiliency into critical sectors by removing people from dangerous environments. Long Journey Ventures' Lee Jacobs said robots can go where no person should, noting that Minerva is bringing systems to protect the Western world's critical infrastructure.
Early Deployments and Partnerships
Before its official launch, Minerva completed a showcase and keynote at the NATO Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre of Excellence in Samorin, Slovakia. The company has established research partnerships with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and the University of Waterloo to advance humanoid capabilities for the energy sector and vision-denied environments. Minerva is also exploring deployments at two of the world's 10 busiest airports and has completed on-site testing for high-risk public safety applications.
With this Pre-Seed funding, Minerva Humanoids plans to advance its purpose-built hardware and AI capabilities for energy and explosive ordnance disposal applications, supporting deployments later this year. The company entered the market by combining specialist human judgment with a semi-autonomous humanoid that removes physical risk from dangerous work. Its rapid hardware development, Western manufacturing strategy, and early traction with public safety organizations position it to address a persistent industrial and security challenge.